Patrick Boffa’s collection for Spring Summer 2019 was inspired by the dazzling Sainte-Chapelle in Paris commissioned by King Louis IX. The chapel illustrates the gothic architectural style of the era and incorporates one of the largest collections of stained glass in the world. The vibrant colours featured in Boffa’s designs allude to this collection of stained glass found in the interior of the church. A catholic himself, Boffa decided to integrate a cross-shaped catwalk to the fashion show. This is to say, the models paraded down the runway following the path of a cross.
Photo by Antonio SO
An interesting characteristic about Boffa’s collection is that every piece incorporates trousers underneath the dress. On the topic, Boffa comments, “It's like a man’s attitude [incorporated into] very sexy women’s clothing… You are now allowed to move as you want in a long dress. It is a new freedom for women.”
Boffa’s treasured piece from this collection is a long purple pleated dress. According to him, “it looks very simple but is very hard to do because it has three planes of fabric and it must all be stitched by hand.”
Photo by Antonio SO
Reminiscing about his childhood, Boffa told IRK magazine how he started off as a dancer before beginning a career as a fashion designer. He started dancing when he has five years old and even won a gold medal in classical dance. However, when he turned twenty five, he decided to follow a long-forgotten passion.
“I turned to fashion because I have loved fashion ever since I was ten years old,” he recalls, “I always wanted to make clothes so I decided to do them by myself. I never went to school for this. I do things naturally. Just things I like; that's it.”
